ECB pressures Greece

Europe

The European Central Bank raised pressure on Greece to extend a bailout deal as new prime minister Alexis Tsipras (pictured, right) told EU leaders austerity is killing his economy and they must find an alternative.

After eurozone finance ministers failed to agree on a joint statement on the way forward on Greece's debt crisis, the ECB's Governing Council held a short-notice teleconference to discuss how long it could continue to keep Greek banks afloat.

"I'm very confident that together we can find a mutually viable solution," Tsipras told reporters.